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Tuesday March 1 2016

I was shot with bullet, not tear gas canister- Gen. Tumukunde

Lt. Gen Henry Tumukunde ( Centre).

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By RISDEL KASASIRA & FELIX BASIIME

FORT PORTAL

Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde has confirmed that he was shot in the legs during the Tuesday early morning brawl in Fort Portal during the fall out of the Western Youth MP elections, in which his son was a contestant.

“Do you think as a General I don't know the difference between a tear gas canister and a bullet?” he asked.

Earlier, military spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda had said the general was hit by a teargas canister.

Col. Ankunda’s version of the Fort Portal events that happened in the wee hours of Tuesday morning was however different from the version by a close aide to the general, who told Daily Monitor earlier that he was shot in the legs allegedly by soldiers attached to the military police. The aide also indicated that a military guard attached to Gen. Tumukunde was shot in the legs, and the two had been treated for gunshot wounds at a Fort Portal clinic.

But Lt. Col. Ankunda said:

“Yes, he was hit by a canister as police attempted to respond to a riotous situation”.

According to NTV, police also say that Gen. Tumukunde was injured by a teargas canister.

Gen. Tumukunde was in Fort Portal, for the Western Youth MP elections where his son Amanya Tumukunde was running against Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, son to State Minister for agriculture Lt. Col. Bright Rwamirama.

Mr Mpaka, an NRM sponsored candidate won the chaotic elections, marred by heavy military deployment.

Mr Amanya run as an independent. Mpaka was declared winner with 660 votes while Amanya garnered 463 of disputed polls. The third candidate, a one Nuwasasira got only 10 votes in the results that were announced at around 2:50am.

The rowdy situation preceded the arrest of supporters of Mr Amanya by the Military police commanded by Lt Col Karugaba Kayangire from the UPDF’s division 2.

Asked why military, not police that arrested Mr Amanya supporters, Lt Col Ankunda said: “We were there to support police”